Thomas Fitzgerald

Political Writer

Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R.,Pa.) said Tuesday that America’s “abortion culture” has played a major part in the financial problems that threaten the future of the Social Security system.

A likely candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, Santorum said that not enough children are being born in the U.S. to support the social safety-net program over the long term, thanks to the prevalence of abortion. He made the comments during an appearance on WEZS AM 1350 in Laconia, N.H.

“The Social Security system, in my opinion, is a flawed system, period,” Santorum told the station. “But having said that, the design would work a lot better if we had stable demographic trends.”

The gist of the problem is “we don’t have enough workers to support the retirees,” Santorum said. “Well, a third of all the young people in America are not in America today because of abortion. We’re depopulating this country.”

A caller brought up the issue of abortion and Social Security; that part of the interview occurs at the end of the program. Santorum also noted that, as he and his wife Karen have seven children, “We’re doing our part to fund Social Security.”